Thursday, March 8
JAKE SHIMABUKURO He's an act one must see (or hear) to believe. Billed as "the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele," Hawaiian-born Jake Shimabukuro can bring it — big time. For evidence, go to YouTube.com and watch him take a seat in Central Park and play the hell out of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." And if you can't get enough of him at the Skipperdome, he's also performing at Langerado. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE EARLY NOVEMBER/THE ROCKET SUMMER/MELEE/THE VERDICT Emo-by-the-numbers is on tap, with headliner The Early November the most popular band on this roster of sensitive indie rockers. Melee does manage to set itself apart a bit with interesting piano lines, but the lame guitar solos, maudlin lyrics and wimpy vocal delivery (check out "Built to Last" on their MySpace page) drag it all down. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
ZACK WYLDE AND BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Ozzy Osbourne ax man Zack Wylde does it hard, fast and heavy, but the dude can also deliver a lighters-up power ballad — like "This River," from the band's 2005 album Mafia. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL CONTINUES w/OAK RIDGE BOYS/JOHN ANDERSON/BIG & RICH/BELLAMY BROTHERS/HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH/JOSH TURNER/MONTGOMERY GENTRY The region's marquee meeting of mainstream country music acts and strawberry treats continues through Sunday. (Plant City Festival grounds; go to flstrawberryfestival.com for details)
IRVIN MAYFIELD & THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ ORCHESTRA The Sarasota Jazz Festival kicks off this week, but none of the big names there is as attractive as Irvin Mayfield's 16-piece throwback to jazz's foundation. The guy's work is no museum piece, though. His 2005 disc Strange Fruit is an ambitious, narrative concept album about Deep South lynching in the 1920s. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —Cooper Levey-Baker
THE BEACH BOYS Brian Wilson enjoyed a flash of recognition a couple of years ago by finishing Smile and performing shows where he seemed less than a basket case. Nothing since. Did he go back to bed? This version of the Beach Boys, led by a haggard Mike Love (estranged from Brian), is all about delivering the oldies as accurately as possible and creating a stroll down memory lane. The group plays Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota the next night. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —Eric Snider
Friday, March 9
FIFTH ANNUAL LANGERADO MUSIC FESTIVAL Jam band heavyweights Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio, moe. and My Morning Jacket headline this massive, Friday through Sunday, festival in South Florida. Other noteworthy acts on the roster include Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, North Mississippi Allstars, Galactic, The Hold Steady and Cat Power, making a rare Sunshine State appearance. (See music feature) (Markham Park, Sunrise)
THE PRODIGALS Jig-punk standouts The Prodigals create original music couched in their Emerald Isle heritage that's by turns jubilant, somber and romantic. Their songs are timeless, as valid today as they would have been back in 1759 when a man named Arthur Guinness started brewing beer. Throw back a pint or three under the sprawling oaks of the Skipperdome and stomp your feet to some accordion-propelled rock 'n' roll. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
ZZ TOP The same three dudes, playing the same three chords for three decades — that's the skinny on ZZ Top, the best veteran blues-rock act around this side of the current Allman Brothers Band lineup and the only one I can think of still featuring its original roster. Badass Billy Gibbons, owner of a rich, distinct tone most young ax-slingers just don't comprehend, is perhaps the most underrated electric guitarist on the planet. That's why he's still well worth witnessing live, even if his band has been guilty of synth overload and hasn't scored a legitimate hit since Reagan was in the White House. One quibble: Does ZZ Top really fit the pristine environs of Ruth Eckerd Hall? How 'bout dropping the cheap seats from $60 to $20, and playing in front of about 10,000 beer-soaked fans at Ford Amphitheatre? Just a suggestion, Billy. It'd be fun. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
EARL GREYHOUND w/DIRTY ON PURPOSE/LIFE OF PI The neo-classic rock band from New York returns to Tampa for what should surely be a night to remember. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
CAJUN CREOLE FESTIVAL w/GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH ROCKIN' BOOGIE/THE PINE LEAF BOYS As kids, Louisiana's Pine Leaf Boys picked up accordions and fiddles to pay homage to their state's Cajun and Creole musical history. The guys swap instruments and vocals and tear it up onstage. The band will be joined at this festival by veteran Cajun/zydeco act Geno Delafose. After St. Pete, The Leaf Boys headline Saturday at cozy Fogartyville Café in Bradenton (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg) —CLB
KEITH ANDERSON Palmetto's The Hall welcomes another big country star to the stage this weekend, in the sculpted form of Keith Anderson. The guy doesn't bring much new to the game; his tunes are just barely serviceable arena country. But I have no doubt CMT fans will turn out in droves anyway. (The Hall, Palmetto) —CLB
Saturday, March 10
YOUNG JEEZY w/T-PAIN/DAMIAN MARLEY/STEPHEN MARLEY/DIGITAL UNDERGROUND/ DJ UNK/COLLIE DUDZ Crack dealer turned chart-topping rhyme slinger Young Jeezy headlines this year's edition of Wild Splash, the signature annual event for "hits and hip-hop" radio station Wild 98.7. The most interesting acts on the roster are brothers Damian and Stephen Marley, two of Bob Marley's acknowledged sons who are doing their father's enormous legacy proud. (Coachman Park, Clearwater)
COL. BRUCE HAMPTON & THE QUARK ALLIANCE Haven't heard much about the Colonel's latest touring project, aside from the fact that they perform a blend of jazz, rock and R&B with the occasional blues standard thrown in for good measure. But regardless of what they have to offer, local folks shouldn't pass up the chance to see the Southeast's own eccentrically wonderful alt-rock legend at diminutive Dunedin Brewery, where you could, quite possibly, count his nose hairs from a seat at the bar. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) —LP
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY/ELUVIUM The Texas-based instrumental post-rockers best known for scoring the soundtrack to the film Friday Night Lights create sweeping soundscapes that have experimental flourishes but are ruled by a pop sensibility. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
PEPPER w/THE MAD CADDIES Nicking the name and sound of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (plus a fair amount of Sublime and Police), Pepper is another jam band making a local stop on its way to Langerado. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
THE HOURLY RADIO These Dallas-based indie rockers alternate between atmospheric ballads and driving, guitar-heavy affairs, with the focus always on the high, sharp vocals of front man Aaron Clossman. (Orheum, Ybor City)
PLAIN JANE AUTOMOBILE W/THE STATIC AGE Orlando's Plain Jane Automobile can strut and then break it down all quiet and caring, while The Static Age are all about layered, textured, processed sounds and half whispered vocals that build. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
JOHN CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT & FAMILY This big, ol' traveling family of folk musicians returns with more down-home storytelling. (The Junction, Clearwater)
THE SMILE RAYS w/INTELLEKT & DIRTY DIGITS Jacksonville's The Smile Rays and Atlanta's Intellekt & Dirty Digits drop rhymes about the daily grind, matters of the heart and positive messages across jazzy beats. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Sunday, March 11
TASTE OF CHAOS TOUR 2007 w/THE USED/30 SECONDS TO MARS/SENSESFAIL/CHIODOS/AIDEN/EVALINE/SAOSIN Much venting — especially of the teen angst variety — will take place at this, the year's must-attend event for fans of screamo, emo and nu-metal. Headlining is The Used, a band of rebellious Mormon-raised youths whose music is characterized by the requisite soft-then-hard melodies and earnest vocals that are up front in the mix, making for intelligible observation staked in the shadows of teen angst: "I'll be just fine pretending I'm not," goes a typical chorus. 30 Seconds to Mars is best known as the vanity project for heartthrob (to some) screen star Jared Leto (Requiem for a Dream, Lord of War). (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
NEW MONSOON On their way back from Langerado, San Francisco's jam-rock quintet brings an eclectic sound to Tampa, promising a night of Latin-flavored licks and world rhythms spiced up with funkin' bluegrass and a touch of sugar-free jazz. New Monsoon has a new bassist, Ron Johnson of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, and, for the moment, has shed its two percussionists, who are both focusing on their roles as new fathers. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —LP
LUCINDA WILLIAMS This is the closest stop on alt-country queen's current tour in support of her rather lackluster new album West. (Hard Rock Live, Orlando)
LEON REDBONE I'll give the guy credit for maintaining his guise as a mysterious fellow wearing a Panama hat singing vintage blues and Tin Pan Alley numbers in a gravelly mumble. I won't give him credit for much else, other than he's managed to continue gigging through the years. Major music magazines actually tried to unmask Redbone in the mid-'70s and were not very successful. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo) —ES
GREEN LEMON Since April '05, Colorado's reggaefied funktronic jammers have visited the Bay area eight times and have always managed to deliver a fun, party atmosphere with a laid-back style of playing and ego-free dealings with their growing base of Bay area fans. Green Lemon appears in St. Petersburg for a two-nighter. The Apple Project open tonight; the Burnin' Smyrnans kick things off tomorrow night. (The Garage, St. Petersburg) —LP
March
16 De La Soul Code Nigh Club
16 Crimson Glory w/Vicious Rumors/Chaos Club Bourbon Street
16 The Neon Hookers/Kingdom/In Remembrance 688 Skatepark
16 Vicious Rumors Bourbon Street Concert Club
16 Halifax State Theatre
16 Tinsley Ellis Skipper's Smokehouse
16 Cure For Caska w/No Recess/None Hit Wonder New World Brewery
17 Silversun Pickups w/Antelope/Giddy-Up Helicopter! Crowbar
17 Antelope Crowbar
18 Leon Redbone State Theatre
18 The Hackensaw Boys Skipper's Smokehouse
19 Horse the Band w/Heavy, Heavy, Low Low/So many Dynamos State Theatre
20 Paul Anka Ruth Eckerd Hall
20 The Haunted/Dark Tranquility/Into Eternity/Sanctity State Theatre
21 Chuck Brodsky Craftsman House
22 Tom Rush Craftsman House
22 Hella w/The Dirty Projectors Crowbar
22 All Time Low w/Hit the Lights Orpheum
22 Cartel w/Cobra Starship/Permanent Me/Boys Like Girls Jannus Landing
22 Pillar/Showbread/Tyler Read/Since October State Theatre
22 Sha Na Na Largo Cultural Center
22 Jon Mclaughlin w/Matt Wertz/Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England Orpheum
23 Public Enemy Jannus Landing
23 1349 w/Goatwhore/Nachtmystium/Averse Sefira Crowbar
23 Chuck Brodsky Octagon Arts Center
23 Boney James and Mindi Abair Ruth Eckerd Hall
24 Hit The Lights/All Time Low/Valencia/The Secret Handshake State Theatre
25 Bobby Vinton Ruth Eckerd Hall
25 Junior Boys Crowbar
25 Four Bitchin' Babes Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
25 Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks Skipper's Smokehouse
26 Jet Jannus Landing
27 The Duhks Skipper's Smokehouse
28 Anberlin w/Bayside/Meg & Dia/Jonezetta State Theatre
28 The Dead Science w/Parenthetical Girls New World Brewery
29 Live Jannus Landing
30 Modern Skirts New World Brewery
30 Lúnasa Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center
31 Lamb of God w/Trivium, Machine Head/Gojira Jannus Landing
31 Gilberto Gil Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
This article appears in Mar 7-13, 2007.